The number of councillors who represent residents across Bath and North East Somerset is to be reduced.

Those currently elected to represent us at a local political level have unanimously backed plans to cut their numbers by ten per cent.

The move will mean some shift to wards, meaning some councillors could take on more residents and therefore a higher workload.

The recommendation to cut the number of Bath and North East Somerset Council councillors from 65 to 59 was put forward by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE).

Local authority politicians voted for the proposals when B&NES Council met at the Guildhall on Thursday night (May 18).

The council chambers in Bath where most public council meetings are held

The LGBCE electoral review of B&NES is the first of its kind in two decades.

A council document ahead of the meeting read: “The view of the working group is that the changing role of the council in terms of leadership, and partnerships and political representation can be taken together to create a case for a reduction in the number of members to 59.”

The LGBCE will firstly determine the correct number of councillors for the Bath and North East Somerset area, taking into account all representations received and then will determine the correct boundaries for that number.

The local authority says it has a "large number of councillors" when compared to similar local authorities.

The following factors were identified which support the case for a reduction in numbers and, the council believes, will help to mitigate councillor workload:

The shift from the council as an organisation that delivers a comprehensive range of direct services to a more commissioning focused organisation.

The reduction in central government funding.

Social media and new technology making it easier to engage with constituents and more easily resolve queries with council services.

B&NES Council Chief Executive, Ashley Ayre, said: “This reduction in numbers is in line with the discussions which have been taking place with the LGBCE as part of its review to determine the correct number of councillors for Bath and North East Somerset. We now await the outcome of their review.”

Ashley Ayre, Bath and North East Somerset Council chief executive

Councillor Liz Richardson (Cons, Chew Valley North) said: "No doubt several wards have grown dramatically in those 20 years, some of them haven't grown like as much so we are definitely due an overhaul."

But Dine Romero (Lib Dem, Southdown) warned "I think cutting them too far in the number of councillors will do the council a dis-service because there is a lot of work that councillors do undertake on behalf of residents.

"On one side I'm not thrilled about cutting the numbers down but I do understand that these are a reasonable adjustment."

A pre-meeting planning paper revealed that as of December 2015 "there were 2,037 electors per councillor" in B&NES which compared to 2,877 in other similar authorities.

The LGBCE suggested "a broadly half-way position between the current and most similar elector/councillor number can be determined...this would create an average of 2,365 electors per councillor and result in an adjusted position of 59 councillors.

"Whilst it may be acknowledged that the workload for some councillors may increase, this may be mitigated by the broader changes in the role of the councillor."